Manchester United are ready to take advantage of stalled contract talks between Barcelona and Samuel Umtiti and match his demands, reports The Daily Record.
Jose Mourinho is keen to sign a new centre-back for the third summer in a row at the end of the season following Victor Lindelof’s unconvincing debut campaign for the club.
United have been heavily linked with a move for Umtiti already this season but Barcelona are desperate to hand the France international a new contract to remove his current €60m (£53.8m) release clause.
The 24-year-old, who joined Barcelona from Lyon in the summer of 2016, has established himself as one of the best defenders in Europe this season and his representatives want Barcelona to more than double the terms in his current contract.
Umtiti wants to remain at Barcelona but will only commit his long-term future to the Spanish giants if they meet his financial demands, with United keeping a close eye on how contract talks progress over the remainder of the season.
Of players that have started at least 10 La Liga matches this season, only Real Betis defender Aissa Mandi (92.6%) and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos (92.5%) have a better pass success rate than Umtiti (91.6%).
Umtiti is going nowhere,that will be downgrade leaving Barca for United.